White Roses
by Breathe.The.Sea
Summary: Jacob is an oldfashioned, reclusive editor who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Edward is a wild, excitable teacher from the heart of the city who wants nothing more than Jacob. Rated T for now
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

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**Jacob**

I'm tired. Yes tired. I am aware that people say they're tired all the time without really meaning it. But as for me, I really mean it. I work hard and have never really had an hour of peace since they moved in.

Who are they? They are the spawn of Satan himself. They masquerade as cute cherub faced toddlers, but I know the truth.

To begin with, I was always a bit of a hermit both in and out of the community. I kept to myself for one single reason people have the tendency to hurt you. I have never come into contact with one person who has been able to impress me with their characteristic prowess without them sneaking their way into my heart and causing me nothing but harm.

You see, my parents died when I was 12 and afterward I was forced to live with my Dads sister, Aunt Tibbiah. She had seven rowdy annoying assed kids and all of them were older than I. They were involved in the community, active parts of every school club and all around perfection. Me being the emotionally withdrawn mess that I was, I didn't do much but breathe, eat, sleep and go to school. My grades were average and I didn't possess any talents that would have made my Aunt proud. I was ostracized due to the fact that I "suppressed" individuality. I wasn't the carefree child that my Aunt wanted me to be, I just believed that I could survive each and everyday living in the shadow of my cousins greatness and be alright living that way.

When I moved out of my Aunts house, I struggled for ten some odd years and stumbled upon Lunar Place. Sure, this community was quiet and filled with nice people but as soon as I reached that level of comfort, they moved in. It wasn't like the Cullen's were a bad bunch. But their children were loud and nosy. They were always in my yard, interrupting my gardening session. They always had questions and never took "I don't know" as an answer. It was like they got out of bed with a mission to exhaust every adult they came into contact with, namely me seeing as though they didn't bother anyone else all that much.

And here I was on my knees, in my garden trying to find an inner peace that can only be met when the Cullen children are either taking their afternoon nap or are away with their father. It was the vacation time, so school was not coming to save the day. Alice, or Princess Alice as she demanded I call her, came and sat next to me. Note: these children do not process glares for their social meaning of "go away", they take it as an invitation to pester and annoy. So that when Princess Alice sat next to me I did not feel the need to waste a stare. She sat quietly for a few moments. Looking at me, then at the garden, then at me again. She huffed. Then she shifted so that she was on her knees too. She poked the soil. She huffed again. Finally she opened her mouth and said,

"What are you doing, Mr. Black?" she asked, with genuine concern in her voice. I looked at her to see if she was sincere. It was obvious what I was doing. But there she was, with an expectant look on her face, bright blue eyes repeating the question to me.

"I'm gardening, Alice," I said, trying my very best not to sound too annoyed.

"I can see that," she announced, "I meant, what are you gardening?"

This time I actually did not mind her question. It seemed she was actually interested and not simply asking to fill her quota with the devil. So I stopped and looked at her. Then I turned to the garden and pointed to the blocks as I told her the names.

"Chrysanthemum, daffodils, hyacinth, and tulips," I said proudly. My garden was not big but it made me happy. I looked at Alice. She looked over the garden as though making her own assessment. Then after much consideration she looked up at me and broke into a smile so big my mouth hurt.

"Could we grow roses?" She asked.

"No." She looked at me, her smile shrinking gradually, and then becoming a deep frown. The bad boy on my shoulder whooped in victory. However the rest of me did not share in the celebrations. Something about those blue eyes and their dull resignation made me feel... something. A bit sad for turning her down but other than that ping of guilt, I felt nothing. I had learned to feel nothing.

"Why do you want to plant roses, Alice?" I asked. I knew I was opening a door that was sealed shut, but it felt like an "out of body" experience. I saw myself engaging her in conversation, but I could not stop it. She beamed immediately.

"My uncle is coming to visit. He loves roses. White roses," she said, eying my garden for her prospective occupants. I looked at her for a while. Did she say uncle? Another Cullen to disrupt my life. God help me. She looked up at me and I realized that I missed a valuable part of the conversation.

"What?" I asked, trying to think of a way to get her away from me.

"I said, he's coming to spend the whole month with us. He's a teacher in the city. He says he wants peace and quiet," I looked at her as though she had grown a second head. Why on earth would a sane person who knew (and is related) to these demons want to come here for peace and quiet? Alice continued to poke my garden. She got her fingers dirty and then proceeded to "clean them" on her dress. I bet her mother would just love that. I returned to my gardening, if I don't look at her she'll eventually disappear.

"His name is Edward," she said, thwarting my plans.

"Who is Edward?" I asked, really concerned for my sanity if I sit with this little girl any longer.

"My uncle. Edward Cullen. He's daddy's little brother," she replied. She was now inspecting my tools. As she picked up my shears I heard her mother bellow her name. I silently thanked the Heavens for the interruption. I was almost done with my yard, maybe I could finish befoe she came back and shuffle myself inside.

"I'll be right back, Mr. Black!" she said on her sprint home.

"Take all the time you need," I grumbled back. Finally getting the peace I longed for I continued my gardening until the sun got unbearable. I collected my tools and returned them to their rightful places in my garage. I'm an editor, and I enjoy working from home. It limits my contact with the countless morons of the world. So I had a bath, releasing the tension Princess Alice caused, then I dressed and headed to my office. I picked up my first manuscript of the day.

"Hi, Mr. Black!" A voice hollered at me. I was frazzled instantly even though I knew that voice like I knew my garden.

"Hello, Jasper," I said calmly looking out my office window on the ground floor. He was peeking his head over the windowsill; no doubt his toes barely touched the ground. He was a tiny boy.

"What you doing?" he asked. I was starting to think these children had a theme.

"I'm reading, Jasper," I replied, using my best calm impression. Usually if you ignored these little tikes long enough, they simply scampered away. Usually...However Jasper seemed to be on a special mission. He suddenly dropped from my window. I heard his little feet stomp to my front porch. Sadly and expectantly I heard a knock on the front door. I ignored it. Again in my attempt to rid myself of him. As I noted before, these children did not heed hints. He knocked again, only stopping when I grudgingly opened the front door. I looked at him, irritation seeping out of my freshly cleaned pores. He looked up at me, straining at my 6"4 inches. He broke out into a smile that screamed innocent verdict. I was not deterred.

"Jasper, I'm busy," I said, my most professional voice, fixing my mess of a ponytail at the nape of my neck. He looked at me and smiled some more. His teeth gleamed a glossy white and his eyes scrunched up due to the strain his smile was causing. Why haven't these children lost teeth yet? It was unnerving to see so many teeth on such a small creature.

"But Mr. Black, I really need to talk to you," he said, his teeth finally being covered by the fold of his pink lips. I looked up and stared into his empty yard. How is it that his parents were never around? I moved to the side and allowed the miscreant into my home. He walked in looking around, no doubt casing the joint. He passed a fleeting palm on some of my ornaments, but seeing as I was not thoroughly fond of household ceramics, his interests were quite limited. I cleared my throat, when I noticed the little punk was ignoring me. He turned around and a small blush crept onto his cheeks.

"What is it, Jasper?" I was beyond annoyed, folding my arms across my chest and tapping my foot against the carpet. Currently, I was the poster child for aggravation. Jasper looked up at me and took a deep breath. I should have realized that this was a bad sign.

"My uncle is coming next week to visit. I really wanted to surprise him with a present, but if Mommy finds out she'll get mad. I was wondering if you could keep something here for me, please." He gushed out the words like he read my mind.

"No." It was all I said to his little speech. He looked as if his dog died.

"But Mr. B," he called me that frustrating nickname, "Uncle Edward really likes snakes and last weekend I got him one from the pet store. I saved all my money for 6 months to buy him one." I looked at him, astonished. I was so taken aback that I stood, mouth agape, for a moment. Then I finally pulled together all the diplomacy I had in me and said

"GET OUT!" Now this was not the best way to handle the situation I know, but I just could not believe these children. Like a good little boy, he bowed his head and slowly trudged out of my home, not before he said to me,

"Please don't tell Mommy." He then ran across to his home. I was NEVER getting married and I was NEVER having children. I closed my door. I decided that I would not tell the woman anything, she was bound to find out.

I went back to my manuscript. As I sat there, reading a rather intense author's work as he butchered the English language, I thought back to my day. It seemed that this "Uncle Edward" was an event to be had at the Cullen residence. It simply solidified my notion of him being just as disruptive as the rest of the clan.

I hated him already


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I am so sorry it took so long to update. Please do enjoy and leave me a review if you can, this chapter is unbeta'ed.**

**Chapter 2**

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**Jacob**

The week passed with much interference from the Cullen children. I tried to work and I gardened and they harassed me and I got migranes and they harassed me some more and I suffered from panic attacks and they harassed me and I gave up on living like a normal human being because no matter what, they always found me. I must have been stuck in the ass with a GPS signal because dammit, they always found me. But on that Thursday night, I was interrupted by the doorbell. I don't usually get guests at that hour or any hour to be totally honest. The only sound that interrupted my normal schedule was the sound of child-like giggling or the pounding of a kids feet on my porch. But as I answered the door, I was greeted with the stunning smile of none other than Rosalie Cullen. My self esteem always plummeted when she came knocking. Honestly, these people all worked for some modeling agency and were dead set on showing off just how beautiful they were.

"Hello, Rosalie," I said trying to be pleasant. Someday I'd end up shouting at her children and I need her on my side.

"Jacob, hi, I wanted to talk to you a bit and ask you something," she said. She beamed again, coaxing me with personality. I moved aside and let her in. I shut the door and turned to see her scanning my home. Like mother, like son. I led her into the kitchen and offered her something to drink. She declined, hopefully due to my demeanor. We sat facing each other at my kitchen table and she simply continued to smile, frosting over my heart. I hated our little chats, I usually spent the time looking at her face and hoping to find a crack in the seamless perfection. It was all in vain though.

"So, I'll get right into it," I was never unpleasant to Rosalie, however she knew we were never best friends.

"As you know," she continued, "my brother-in law is coming to stay on Friday." I had the decorum to look interested.

"Yes, I've been told repeatedly." She smiled shyly. She knew her children.

"Yes, well, I wanted to ask you a favor." The boldness of this family knew no bounds.

"Okay?" This reply sparked the beginning of a five minute monologue from her ever-smiling mouth. She told me that she and her husband needed to spend some time away from the children. Secretly, I was far from surprised. She informed me that they were going on their second honeymoon and had decided to travel across Europe. She stated that she was originally planning on leaving the kids with her mother but said that her husband's brother's announcement posed as the perfect opportunity. Then she dropped the bomb, the bomb of all bombs.

"Edward is the kids' favorite uncle, their only uncle actually. He's just like my husband, a huge kid," She looked for some sign that I was listening. I raised my eyebrows in mock interest.

"Him looking after my children was not my choice," she continued. "Rosalie, what is it you wanted to ask me?" I asked, keeping my tone patient. She looked at her fingers, and then stared at everything in the room but my eyes. While looking at her I saw the resemblance between her and her children. Jasper possessed her high rise cheekbones and curly blonde waves, Alice looked more like her father, Emmett, but she had her mother's wide smile and pretty little nose.

"I was wondering," she said slowly, "would you mind looking in on the children as well as Edward while we are away?" she blurted out the last part much faster than she started. I stared at her, mouth closed. I was running over the option of moving out of this neighborhood. But then I looked at Rosalie for a while longer. I considered, it wasn't like she wanted me to babysit, God forbid. And all I had to do was make sure that this Edward did not kill her children. That seemed easy enough (and if he did I would at least try to report it). I looked at her desperate eyes. Then I let out an exhausted sigh.

"Yes, Rosalie. I'll keep an eye on them," I said. The smile that sprang on her face was so bright the kitchen itself shone with heavenly glory. For a second I thought she was going to hug me. I immediately got up and offered her my hand to shake. She got up too, shaking my hand with the fervor before hugging me, as I suspected. She let go quickly though, taking the scent of lilac with her. I quickly led her out the front door. On the way to the door she spewed little bits of information about her children that only a nanny should know. She filled me in on allergies, favorite foods and bedtimes. At some point I got the inclination that I was to do more than prevent their untimely deaths. I paid no mind to the voice screaming at me to jump ship. I bid Rosalie goodnight and snuggled on my love-seat, pondering what stupidity I had possessed to say yes.

Friday morning spread its sunlight across my cheeks and throughout my bedroom. I was just about to grumble and return to sleep when I heard a loud shriek coming from the Cullen's house. I slowly got out of my bed and peered out of my window, ever curious when I knew I shouldn't be. I shrank back when I took note of Rosalie chucking a rather scaly looking reptile out onto her lawn. She was dressed in a pretty floral dress that showed off her pale skin and she wasn't too pleased. Well she had found the snake. Jasper was looking on in horror, begging for the snakes life, telling his mother not to harm it. I turned away from the sight, feeling bad for not removing the snake from the boys hands… It could have actually hurt someone.

…

I was sitting in my study going over a novel written by a half-drunk Frenchman in English, when I suddenly heard a large thump. I thought at first that the breeze may have thrown something over in the kitchen. On hearing a second thump, I realized that it was coming from my front lawn. I looked out the window and saw little Alice Cullen pounding rocks in my garden. I immediately ran outside to execute my anger.

"ALICE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I shrieked, looking at the young lady covered in dirt sitting like a little... angel. She looked up at me, bright blue eyes screaming sweetness, "I'm building a place for my roses." She sighed at me as if were obvious and looked back at her work and ignored me all of five minutes, before she realized that I was still glaring at her. She then rolled her eyes back up at me, shielding them from the sun. "Do you want to help me?"

Instead of responding I stomped over to the Cullen residence, anger hot on my heels. I ignored the doorbell and was about to slam my fist on the door when it opened and a young man stood in my way.

"Hello," he chimed. A smile plastered on his face reminded me of someone else. Then a familiar large yet slender face came into view, flickering blue eyes meeting mine in amusement. I eyed those curly brown locks and scrunched my nose. Seriously, why were they all beautiful?

"Hello Jacob, what can we do for you?" Emmett asked, looping his arms around the auburn haired man standing beside him. Looking between his smile and the smile of the stranger, gears clicked into place. So this must be Edward, hmm...

"Hello Emmett. I was wondering, could you please remove your daughter form my lawn?!" I said although a tad bit hysterical, at least I got the point across. He looked over my shoulder and hollered, "Alison Cullen ! GET INSIDE NOW!" I turned and saw a dramatically dejected Alice stomping towards her father. She disappeared into the house, probably in search of her mother.

"Thank you."

I sighed and returned to my defaced garden.

…

As I sat, trying to regain a semblance of order to my poor garden, a shadow poured itself over me. I looked up into the green eyes of Edward Cullen. He had a grin on his face that reminded me of Jasper. I looked at him for a moment, hoping he had a reason for staring at me secretly praying that the Cullen's weren't leaving me behind to take care of a murderer. He stood for a few seconds more, simply staring and grinning. So, he would be a pest just like the others. Swell.

"Can I help you?" I asked hoping that my glare would at least work on him. It only served to widen his grin to the point where he was flashing a set of deep pale dimples. I had seen those before on Emmett Cullen and on Alice. Great, another good looking Cullen to deal with. As if life just couldn't get anymore illogical.

"Hi, I'm Edward." He said, charm oozing out of his every pore. I felt a major shift in my world as I now understood what Alice and Jasper would inevitably become. He then knelt next to me and started to remove the rocks that Alice had carelessly left behind.

He pitched the offending stones away. Once done with his kind act, he flashed me that ridiculous grin again and clapped his hands together, spewing dirt everywhere.

"There now," he patted the soil for emphasis. I knew I may have imagined it, but the mocking tone of his voice set me on edge. I grit my teeth, pushing back my crazy black hair that I had forgotten to put in a ponytail after rushing out to defend my garden from the hands of Alice.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I wanted to help you," he said and tried his best impression of a less charming smile.

"Great, thanks," I grumbled. He was starting to get on my nerves.

"Well… I wanted to ask you something," he said, sweet smile again. I was really thinking about moving now. In the past week I had propositioned it four times. I could do it, I could have my shit packed faster than Alice could say, "I'm the princess, Daddy says so."

"Okay?" I raised an eyebrow. He looked at me hesitantly and a long silent debate played out before he gushed "Could we plant roses?"

I opened my mouth to say no but he was adamant on completely voicing his thought. "I'll buy the seeds and whatever else you need…I can even help you garden, PLEASE?!" The last was said with a mouthful of pearly whites. I looked him over. I really must be getting soft. This kind of crap was not usually tolerated. Something about those stupid moss green eyes made me lose every intelligent thought.

"What is up with you Cullen's and planting roses?" I asked, carding a hand through my hair. It needed a washing after today. He grinned again. This time he moved to sit and brought his knees in front of him. He looked at me again and turned his head to the side, like a curious puppy.

"I just like them. They're pretty." He said. The simplicity of his statement was lost on me, he was just like the kids. The similarity was astonishing.

"Then go plant them in your own yard."

And with that, I got up and retreated into my house.

Yep, I definitely hated him.

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**AN: Drop a quick review if you please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Okay just want to answer some reviews!**

**RinDey: I wrote this chapter from Edwards point of view just for you! Hope you like it :)**

**Mickysusu: Jacob will have to give in to the beauty of the Cullen family eventually! Stay put, chapter four is on its way.**

**Black Sheeba: I'm glad you like him! I hope he doesn't come off as too..stand-offish?**

**daLeah: I'm glad that you pointed that out to me, I was considering giving him a haircut in a few chapters. Thanks so much for the advice! I hope you like this chapter.**

**kasialeg: I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

** : I'm glad you like it thus far, stay tuned for updates eh? *wriggles eyebrows***

**Marie One: So glad you are enjoying this! You're right, hopefully Edward can hang in there!**

**AND ON TO THE SHOW! It's not beta'ed sorry.**

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I sat in the grumpy man's yard, looking at him storm away. His hair followed him like a curtain of black and I tilted my head to the side ever so slightly he had a nice ass. Of course I had noticed that from the time I had caught him walking back to his yard after ratting out my little niece, Al. She was quite the handful when she wanted to be, a beautiful girl but a handful all the same.

I sighed, poking the dirt for a moment. I really like roses. I wonder if he would plant the white ones I like. It couldn't be that big of a deal. Ever since Mom died I've always wanted a garden of them to bloom in her memory. They were her favorites after all. She took such great care of them, they were the only things that sustained her when she was going through chemo. But that man, no matter how sexy, was very snappy. No wonder the babies liked him. They were drawn to people that showed them little to no interest. Funny creatures they were. But eventually, they got into peoples systems and made others like them. It was their smiles I was sure of it. I stood and walked backwards to the house. I looked in every window of his three story modernized home to catch a glimpse of him. His windows gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight and the paint on his porch glistened as if it were freshly painted. But he was nowhere in sight, possibly avoiding me. As I entered the living room I was rushed by a screaming six year old girl. She threw herself into my arms and was bawling some incoherent dialogue that consisted of drawn out snivels and little gurgles of tears. I could make out a few words as she cried into my shirt, balling up her hands in the fabric of my jeans. Something about a bath.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOO!" She yelled at her mother, who was following her with a towel and some bath supplies. I looked into the beseeching eyes of my beautiful sister-in-law. She looked utterly defeated, sweat clinging to her golden curls as she wiped absently at her left eyebrow. It appeared to be twitching, from exertion or frustration I wasn't entirely certain.

She seemed to be silently begging me for help.

I took pity on her.

"Princess Alice, sweetie, what's going on?" I asked, gently tugging her away from my clothing to look at her. Her button nose was red and puffy, lips sticking out in the cutest way. She was so going to break hearts. She sniffled some more. Now she really needed to bathe, she was covered in the dirt I had on my hands from helping her sexy neighbor. I looked at her again and raised my eyebrows in question.

"I don't want to bathe," she grumbled.

"Well, why not?" I asked with genuine concern.

"It takesssss tooooooo loooooong," she drawled, rolling her eyes at her mother and wiping at her tears. She smeared dirt over her face in the process but didn't seem to notice or didn't care. I smiled at her. That earned me a brief grin.

"Alice you need to get clean, you're tracking dirt through the house!" Rosalie had lost all patience. I looked over Alice and crinkled my nose. She was not helping.

"I want to play with Uncle Edward!" Alice snapped, hands finding her hips. And Rosalie huffed in exasperation, looking about ready to pounce

"Well, I promise I'm going to sit on the couch and not move til you finish your bath," I said. Her face broke out into a smile so fast I thought she might have hurt herself. True to my word I sat down on the couch and clasped my hands together, proving myself. She spared me an approving glance, hiding a giggle behind the chub of her child shaped hand before skirting away to the bathroom. Rosalie followed close behind, muttering a variety of curse words under her breath.

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As I obediently sat on the couch, Jasper crawled out from wherever he was hiding. I always had to be on my toes with this one, that cheeky oh so innocent look meant that he was up to something. Cherub or not, Jasper was trouble. He too would break hearts. He grinned at me which immediately alerted me. He held something behind his back.

"Hi Uncle Edward," he sing-songed, grin bringing rise to a set of perfect dimples on his cheeks. I looked him, smiling nervously back. Scary, cute six year old he was.

"Jasper, hello, what do you have behind your back?" I asked. He grinned for a few more moments then he looked around to make sure we were alone. After deciding that we were, he produced a small green snake. The snake was bigger than a worm but small enough so as not to be considered a threat. I looked at Jaspers' prize, then I looked at him. The first thought that came to mind popped out of my mouth.

"Sweet! Where did you get it?" He beamed at the compliment. He looked around again and then I got really suspicious.

"Jasper, does your mother know you have a snake?" I asked him fearing and knowing the answer.

"Yes, she does," he replied hesitantly. I looked him over. These children have never really lied to me. However the sneaky bastards would do anything to escape punishment. I squinted at him suspiciously watching his eyes dart toward the floor. He was lying.

"She found it this morning," he blew out. As if on cue I heard Rosalie calling him. He clutched the snake to his chest protectively.

"Yes Mommy?" he answered. I looked at him now, a bright red blush creeping quickly up to his ears.

"Come and take a bath too," his mother called back. He looked at me and then pushed the snake into my hands.

"I'll be right back," he said as he ran to the bathroom.

I sat with the snake in my hands for a while. I could not move after all. I sat and waited and soon Alice emerged, smelling so fresh and so clean. Her dark brown hair reminded me very much of my brother. It curled about her shoulders and she twirled. She saw the snake y as it twisted and turned in my hands.

"Where did you get the snake, Uncle Edward?" I looked at her as she pet his head.

"Jasper gave me to hold it," I said truthfully. She looked up at me somewhat confused.

"But Mommy got rid of Jasper's snake this morning," she told me. I stared at her and was about to reply when my brother walked into the room and immediately spotted us. I looked up, surprised and guilty. Alice looked like a spectator at the premier fights.

"Where did you get that?!" Emmett screamed. I tried stammering some answer that would get neither me nor my nephew in trouble. I was about to come up with the perfect excuse when Rosalie bounded into the room and upon seeing me with the snake let out a scream that can put Emmett's little girl cry to shame. My eardrums were still ringing as she stopped and started shrieking unintelligible commands to my brother. He came over and pried the snake from my fingers and strode out of the house with his hands a safe distance in front of him.

As the commotion subsided, Jasper came, smiling as he entered the living room. He looked at me and a frown touched the corners of his mouth. I put out my hands palms up, indicating my helplessness in the situation. His mother then turned to him, her face dark red.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM!" She barked. Jasper turned tail heading for his room. I looked at Alice and she simply sighed as if this were an everyday occurrence. And hell, maybe it was in this household.

"So what games do you want to play?"

* * *

_One Hour Later_

After one hour I found myself cramped down in the laundry room, hoping that Princess Alice would not find me. She was very smart and I really didn't want to "seek" again, it took me forever trying to find her. She took stealth mode to a whole new level. When I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, much too heavy to be Alices', I peeked out of my hiding place. Rosalie stood there looking rather irate as she glared at me hefting a basket of clothes. She sighed and started her task. I sat silently watching her. She sorted the colored clothing from the whites and proceeded to toss the dingy whites into the wash, chasing them down with a hearty dosage of bleach.

Silently I prayed that she wouldn't alert Alice of my hiding spot, that girl was competitive. Sure enough the "seeker" in question came tumbling down the stairs, a flurry of curls and glitter. She looked in several prime hiding spots, and then she sighed.

"Mommy, is Uncle Edward down here?" Her mother looked at her and for a moment I thought I was doomed. But Rosalie didn't so much as spare me a glance from the darkened corner of the room I tucked myself into, hiding underneath a pile of comforters that needed to be folded. She simply brushed back her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Alice, that's not playing fair, is it?"

Instead of trampling off in a defeated manor, Alice smiled brilliantly and continued to look around. She stuck her head in the dryer and I was a bit pleased in her confidence in me. Then finally, she came and stood in front of me, pulling off the mound of comforters and screamed : "FOUND YOU!"

The cool air hit my skin and I looked up at her in mock defeat. The smile on her face was contagious. Before I could even open my mouth she was dashing away.

"Now it's your turn to find me!" she shouted as she ran up the stairs to her hiding place. I unfolded myself and stood for a while, waiting for her to find the perfect place. In the meantime I helped Rosalie fold the clean clothes.

"There is a list of warnings on the refrigerator," Rosalie said abruptly as if to break the silence. I turned to her with an arched eyebrow.

"A list of do's and don'ts, for you and the children," she explained. As understanding crossed my face she continued.

"And a list of their favorite foods as well. We filled the fridge with at least two weeks' worth of food and a grocery list for when that is through," I looked at her. Her face was the perfect picture of disdain. Rosalie never trusted me with the children. My brother, Emmett most likely persuaded her to leave them in my care rather than subject them to the evil Nana Hammerman. I got the chills just thinking about that woman. Last Christmas I remembered her constantly pinching my ass and saying "Oh so firm". I smiled at Rosalie and gave her shoulder a friendly pat. "Of course Rosy Posy" I smirked. She hated that nickname.

"Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two," I said, ignoring her glare.

"You could at least try to act like a grown up," she scowled.

"Ninety-nine, one hundred! Ready or not here I come!" I yelled.

Before I bounded upstairs I planted the biggest wettest kiss on her cheek. As she rubbed it off and screamed I flew up the stairs in search of the hiding ninja princess extraordinaire.

"I wonder where Alice is," I said loudly, indicating that I was looking. I headed in her room. I looked beneath the bed, and then in the closet, and then under the dresser. I finally glanced behind the door before trekking to the master bedroom. In the room I found my brother sitting on his bed with his laptop. He's an investor, makes buttloads of money in his job and that is as far as I know anything about his job. I do however give him a small part of my pay check every month for him to invest for me.

"Is Alice in here?" I asked. He looked up at me and smiled. He always had that loving father smile.

"Eddster, you know that is cheating," he said with a grin, his eyes never leaving his computer. He was a big guy, muscular in all the right places with a permanent mischievous grin on his face. He was the older of us two by four years, smart, funny and well, everything I wasn't. I suppose that's why I loved him so much, Emmett was a great guy. I grinned back and plopped myself next to him.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked while I picked up some ornament that was on the side table. He grasped the object for my hand and replaced it.

"Do you really care?" he asked, looking at me. I guess he did have a point. I shook my head and lay back on the bed.

"So where are you going first?" I asked about his European tour.

"Paris. There I hope to get Rose so horny we wouldn't have to go anywhere else," he said with a snicker. My brother hated to travel. He hated planes and he got motion sickness, didn't like to be confined on any occasion and airplanes didn't have the foods he enjoyed munching on when he got nervous. He also got seasick, even when we went fishing with my father. He was definitely a stationary person. I smiled at the thought of him traveling across Europe. He also did not like meeting new people. I looked at his broad shoulders and wondered if people would see this 6ft 5, 260 pound giant as the shy, socially clumsy nerd that he was.

At that point I heard a soft giggle. I knew I heard it but looking at my brother, he kept his composure. Then I heard it again. I got up and looked around the room, waiting for my sign again. And again I heard it, in the closet! I ran in the closet and saw a scrunched up Princess Alice trying her darnedest to hold in her giggles.

"FOUND YOU!" I shouted, pointing my finger at her. She sprang from the closet and bounded into my arms. She was a mass of brown curls and giggles. Her father chuckled at the pair of us on the ground wrestling.

"You two are too cute," he said. At this Alice and I looked up.

"Who you calling cute?" I said, smiling.

"Cute? No, I'm gorgeous," Alice said matter of factly, flipping her hair. At this we all broke out in a laugh. On hearing the commotion, Jasper came into the room pouting. Clearly we were disrupting his punishment. He snuffed, then turned and retreated to his room. Rosalie came in carrying the clean clothes and passed Jasper, giving him the warden "get back to your prison cell"-type glare. He bent his head and continued on.

As Alice and I left the room, she turned to me

"What do you want to do now, Uncle Eddie?" She asked. I really didn't know, I was kind of hungry and told her.

"Well we could ask Mommy to make us some sammiches," she said. I smiled at the word "sammiches", that was mine and Emmetts word when we were younger. I looked at her

"Well your Mommy won't be here for a while, so let's practice making sammiches for ourselves," I said. She smiled at that. Then she hurried to the kitchen to take out all the stuff she wants in her lunch. This included peanut butter, jelly and bologna. My stomach made an obscene growl. I quickly corrected her choice and made three meals. I took out three juice packs from the refrigerator and gave her a sammich and a juice pack.

"Take this for your brother in prison," I said. Alice giggled as she carried it to Jasper. When she returned we sat on the couch and had our lunch. As we were eating I looked out the window at the neighbors' house.

"Princess, tell me more about your neighbor," I asked. She would know him better than anyone it would appear.

"Like what?"

"Like what does he do?"

"He gardens and he reads," she said, fleetingly. I looked at her dubiously.

"Is that all?" I asked, intrigued by this man's carefree lifestyle.I wanted to know more. He intrigued me to no end with his grumpy demeanor. Alice looked up at me.

"Well every once in a while he goes to the bookstore, or the grocery, but usually it's just read and garden," she said. I was immediately enthralled with this man. He was clearly a mystery and I loved mysteries. And I intended to find out more.

As Alice and I continued our lunch, the man of the hour crossed a window in my view. I was drawn to his image. He came into the room, like a breath of fresh air. I watched from the livingroom window as he sat behind a desk in what I deduced was his office. His hair was tied back messily and I took a bite out of my sandwich, spraying crumbs everywhere. His skin was smooth and had a slight gloss to it, to give him this finished look. His hair hung past his shoulders even when tied up, eyebrows furrowed as he hunched awkwardly over whatever pamphlet he was reading through. He was having a glass of something and I was drawn to beautiful natural fingernails. They weren't bitten down but they also weren't completely refined.

As I was staring I was so caught up in looking at his hands that when I finally returned to his eyes, they were looking at me, or perhaps glowering at me. His grimace was cold, shot straight to my very core. I took a step back, from the hostility. He rose from his reading, walked over to the window, gave a brief, but false, smile and yanked the curtains closed.

"Alice, what's his name?" I said turning slowly to the child now licking jelly from her fingertips.

"Jacob Black."

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**AN: That's the end of that, review if you can and stay around for a while will ya? Chapter four is coming your way shortly.**


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